PARIS (AP) — The Latest on a fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris (all times local):

10;05 p.m.

A group of Americans from Maine had just finished visiting Notre Dame Cathedral and were in a nearby park when they heard it was on fire.

Freeport resident Lucy Soule, 22, said it was “weird” having been in the church right before this happened. “Now you can smell it burning.”

Soule and her father, Win Soule, 58, and Libby Heselton, 53, are on a weeklong trip to Paris where they planned to “see all the sights” and had just finished their visit to Notre Dame. They had been in the cathedral at 5:30 p.m., about an hour before the fire.

Win told The Associated Press “Now I feel sorry for the people tomorrow. They won’t be able to see it.”

He says “it’s incredible. I’m not religious, but this is clearly very important to a lot of people.”

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9:50 p.m.

The fire chief in Paris says it’s unclear if city firefighters will be able to keep a fire at Notre Dame from spreading and causing more destruction.

Fire Chief Jean-Claude Gallet said outside the iconic cathedral as his crews battled the blaze from both the exterior and interior: “We are not sure we are capable of stopping the spreading” to Notre Dame’s second tower and belfry.

Gallet said: “If it collapses, you can imagine how important the damage will be.”

Flames already have reached one of Notre Dame’s towers and brought down the church spire that extended 96-meters-high (315-feet.

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9:40 p.m.

The Vatican has issued a statement about the “terrible fire” that has “devastated” Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

The Vatican said: “The Holy See has seen with shock and sadness the news of the terrible fire that has devastated the Cathedral of Notre Dame, symbol of Christianity in France and in the world.”

The statement says the Vatican is praying for firefighters “and those who are doing everything possible to confront this dramatic situation” on Monday.

It also expressed “our closeness to French Catholics and the population of Paris, and we assure our prayers for firefighters

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9:05 p.m.

French President Emmanuel Macron is treating the fire gutting Notre Dame Cathedral as a national emergency.

Macron reached the landmark cathedral on Monday evening and went straight into meetings at the nearby Paris police headquarters.

The cathedral is home to incalculable works of art and is one of the world’s most famous tourist attractions.

The cause of the blaze isn’t yet known, but scaffolding could be seen on the roof of the burning structure. The spire was undergoing renovation.

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7:55 p.m.

Police in Paris say the cause of the massive fire enveloping the spire of Notre Dame Cathedral isn’t yet known.

The French capital’s police department said no deaths have been reported from Monday’s fire. The police department didn’t say anything about injuries.

The peak of the 12th century cathedral is undergoing a 6 million-euro ($6.8 million) renovation project.

French media quoted the Paris fire brigade saying the fire is “potentially linked” to the renovation work.

Located on the Ile de la Cite in the center of Paris, the Gothic cathedral is among the most famous from the Middle Ages and was built on the ruins of two earlier churches.

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7:45 p.m.

French President Emmanuel Macron has postponed a televised speech to the nation because of a massive fire enveloping the top of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

Flames are shooting out of the roof behind the nave of the 12th cathedral, one of the world’s most visited landmarks.

The sight stopped pedestrians in their tracks along the Seine River, which passes under the cathedral.

Authorities said the fire could be linked to renovation work. It’s unclear if anyone has been hurt in the fire.

Macron’s pre-recorded speech was set to be aired later Monday on French TV. Macron was expected to lay out his plan to address the citizen complaints that gave rise to the yellow vest protests that have rocked France since November.